Сделать sun 5th april - kathmandu we arrived safely in a very foggy kathmandu after our short but delayed flight from india. we caught a local bus to the hotel, passing street vendors, beggars, shoeshine boys and even a barber with his chair and cracked mirror out on the pavement! this morning we escaped the dust, noise and pollution of the city to visit the incredible monkey temple up in the hills. there really were hundreds of monkeys there — they were running around everywhere. there were lots of steps to climb but it was worth it — the view of the snowy peaks of the himalayas in the distance was absolutely breathtaking! tues 7th april - the himalayas we woke up yesterday morning feeling so excited! finally the day we would begin our 2-day trekking excursion to the himalayas had arrived! we took a small plane journey from kathmandu and then trekked for hours up and down the rocky mountain trail. it was hot in the bright mountain sun but quite cold wherever there was some shade. you can't imagine how spectacular the scenery was! we finally reached a village called phakding where we put up our tent and camped outside a teahouse. we tried some local dishes, which were delicious, and then got into our sleeping bags. it got cold very quickly once the sun had gone down! i awoke the next morning to the most amazing sunrise i had ever seen! i took a walk down to the river where i ran into two young boys playing. they were really friendly. nepalese villages are very poor, but everyone we met in the mountains seemed happy. thurs 9th april - bhaktapur returning from the mountains, kathmandu seemed even busier than when we left! we took a taxi to the ancient town of bhaktapur today as we had heard that its annual festival bisket jatra was taking place. when we got there, we hired a guide, who took us to see the noisy tug-of-war contest that kicks off the festival every year. apparently, the festival is based on a fairy tale and continues for days. it includes a wild parade, a candlelit procession and two more tugs-of-war! later in the day, we went on a guided tour of bhaktapur's magnificent temples, then we went shopping for souvenirs. the city is full of craftsmen selling paintings and handicrafts. i bought some beautiful pottery and jake found a fantastic pair of hand-made drums! sat 11th april - home sweet home! jake and i finally put on our backpacks for the last time and flew home today after 5 weeks, 4 countries, 2 nasty viruses and countless temples, mountains, beaches and cheap campsites and hotels! i'll never forget the amazing experiences i've had backpacking through asia, but right now i'm looking forward to some home comforts and a good night's